NY Islanders defenseman Noah Dobson named Top 25 NHL player at midseason mark

The accolades surrounding Noah Dobson continue to pile in, as TSN has named the NY Islanders defenseman a Top 25 NHL Player at the mid-season mark.

Ranked No. 22, Dobson enters the list as he was left out of the October rankings. He is the only Islander to make the list and one of only four defensemen, trailing Cale Makar (No. 5), Quinn Hughes (No. 6), and one place ahead of Victor Hedman (No.23).

Nathan MacKinnon, who sits second in points behind only Nikita Kucherov, is ranked No. 1, followed by Connor McDavid and Kucherov.

Dobson has burst onto the scene this season, sitting third in points among defensemen with 52, and has entered into Norris Trophy consideration. Utilized in every situation, Dobson has been deployed nearly more than any other player in the league, averaging 25:59 of ice time per game, just four seconds behind league leader Drew Doughty.

Makar edged out Hughes by one place, while Hughes has outscored the 2022 Norris Trophy winner by seven points to this point. While those two are widely considered the best defensemen in the NHL, Dobson sits in that next tier.

Both Makar and Hughes have been at the top of their game for multiple seasons, while Dobson has broken out this season. Nipping at their heels in terms of production, it's tricky to compare Dobson to the other two, as they've repeated these types of seasons year in and year out.

Dobson has shown signs of breaking out in years past but hasn't gotten over that hump until now. With 51 and 49 points over the last two seasons, Dobson has already eclipsed that mark through 49 games this season.

Having Dobson considered one of the NHL's Top 25 players is a significant accomplishment, even though it doesn't necessarily mean much. Hopefully, when the postseason rankings are released, we'll hear Dobson has cracked the top 20.